TTC After 35 Weekly Check In (week of March 13)

laurad75

I took out the diagnosis line since AMA/ DOR is understood.  Obviously feel free to share any other obstacles that have been thrown your way.  

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  

Rants/Raves: 

What's new in your life not TTC related?: 

Momifbysea

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment): Starting round 1 IVF process today

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD1

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  prenatals, vitamin D, starting day 1 BCPs today, feeling tentatively confident (haha) about my strength to get through this next couple of months of IVF meds, but I've never been one to back down from my fears, so I'm buckling in for the ride!

Rants/Raves: winter is my rant. That's all. I'm a native Californian so I've been a fish out of water for about 13 years now!

What's new in your life not TTC related?: I just got back from my road trip to visit family and it was a good change of scenery pre-IVF since I'll be grounded the next 3 months with that.

Labluver2

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  WTO

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD15 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  BBT charting my temp dipped and is now slowly rising just waiting for the spike. I had ovulation pain yesterday and hubby and I BD the last 3 days and will until the spike. Also preseed, prenatal,zinc, vitamin,D,cosq10 

Rants/Raves: I'm so over this cold and now this huge snow storm when last week it was in the 60 and 70s


Good luck to everyone this month!!! 

murraydog2008

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  waiting for appointment with my new OB on April 5.  Period started yesterday. This is officially starting our 14th month of trying for our baby #3

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD 2

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  Vitex, B complex, Simplex F, a whole bunch of other vitamins but I can't remember all of them.  I am also going to do Robitussin again to help with CM. 

Rants/Raves: Rant: I have lived in Seattle my entire life and this place is seriously booming now. So much so that it's nearly priced my family out of this area. I know the tech industry is important and all, but it's brought SO MANY people here and made housing so unaffordable that in order for us to buy a house, I will literally have to commute an hour and a half to 2 hours each way.  Rave:  My kids got new car seats after my husbands truck was hit a few months ago and we got them the Britax click-tight seats. Holy smokes those things are awesome!  If you are in the market for a new car seat for older kids I highly recommend them!  They are soooooo easy to install.  Very heavy to move between cars, but the installation is a dream come true.

What's new in your life not TTC related?:  My 6 year old Irish dances and has a ton of dancing shows this week. She loves it and is so darn cute. It should be a pretty fun week.

laurad75

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  Starting stims for ER #2 this week

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD 1

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  I go in for baseline bw and us tomorrow and will probably start stims tomorrow night.  

Rants/Raves: I am in Boston and we are anticipating a big snow storm.  My husband has offered to drive me to my appt tomorrow morning and then we will plan to hunker down for a day or 2.  I'm kind of excited about it.  

What's new in your life not TTC related?: I binged watched the first 3 episodes of Big Little Lies this weekend.  I loved it.  I'm so excited for a new show.  

katekate628

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):  TWW

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): 7dpo

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  OPKs, prenatals, vitamin D, temping (next month should be better)

Rants/Raves: Dh will be traveling for work the next 2 weeks. Luckily he will be back near my FW, fingers crossed! 

What's new in your life not TTC related?: I got to do some baking this past week and had fun. I love to bake but don't get to often. 

PoeMasque

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment): I guess WTO....waiting for ER haha. We have three more days of stims before egg retrieval for our first IVF cycle

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): CD10

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  225iu of menopur in the morning, 225 FSH/gonal-f at night and as of yesterday 250 of ganirelix at night too. My belly looks like a bloated war zone! Also prenatals, baby aspirin, probiotic, and stool softener! 

Rants/Raves: even though I'm bloated, sore, and have a constant headache, the worst part of IVF is how absolutely unpredictable the results are. There's no way to know if we are going to be the couple with lots of embryos to freeze or none. That uncertainty is killing me right now. 

What's new? I started a new job in October and it took a lot of training before I could actually start doing it. I am now finally feeling confidant with it able to branch out a little. I realized a few weeks ago that - as part of my job - I can do activities and crafts with families. So I've been testing out crafts and activities at my desk before I do them with clients and I've decided that every adult needs play time with water beads, shaving cream, and calm down jars! So fun and instant stress relief! 

SP128

@laurad75  GL to you today!!!!  DH is so nice to offer to drive you.  Hope you are not stuck in this crazy weather we are about to have.  

@katekate628  Hoping timing works out for FW !

@PoeMasque  FX for you!!   

@Momifbysea  Good luck.  Awesome mind set to approaching IVF.  

Status (WTO/TWW/Benched/in process of testing or treatment):   Waiting for AF at this point

CD, CD/DPO (if applicable): 14 DPO.  Two days of temp drops.  Spotting.  Waiting for the inevitable. 

What are you doing this cycle? (Testing? Treatment? Vitamins/supplements?):  OPK, BBT, Prenatals, Preseed.  

Rants/Raves:  Going to a RE consult on Thursday.  I called the office yesterday and explained that AF is supposed to start soon.  I wanted to see if I could schedule Day 3 testing and explained that I didn't want to miss the cycle.  The nurse wouldn't schedule it because she said that they want the doc to see me first and wouldn't know what they would order.  Ugh.  Hopefully the doctor will be able to schedule me something for Friday or better yet the weekend.  I just don't want to wait anymore.  @laurad75   Does the center you go to do Saturday and Sunday blood work and ultrasounds?  I think I read online they do.  Also, my center said they start bw at 8 am, a colleague who went to my center said that she got all the bw and us done before work at like 
7.  

I was reading about the IVF process last night.   I have to say that I'm really intimidated by the process.  Hats off to all you ladies who are taking it in stride.  May need some tips and pep talks from you ladies.  May lurk on the IF board.  

What's new in your life not TTC related?: 
The unexpected snow day.

Momifbysea

@SP128 haha I'm trying to have a good attitude but if you read my post from a few weeks back after the class presenting all the injections info you'd see I had major anxiety and panic attacks! But somehow I've managed to calm down, focusing on each single day, in the moment versus the whole treatment calendar so I don't get overwhelmed. I will probably need major pep talks these next 2-3 months! Like I just realized last night that I'll be doing progesterone shots and in first trimester (hopefully!) while moving cross country...hmm...

@poemasque good for you almost to ER! As a nurse, any tips for making injections hurt less? Ice area before? I hear you on the whole uncertainty of the outcome especially after all the meds, but at least you can rest easy knowing you're giving it your all for the best possible chance.

@laurad75 yay for starting stims and for DH driving you! Enjoy your "hunker down" time!

laurad75

H was very nice to drive me to the appt but I felt like a jerk because it was barely even snowing until we got home.  Whatever, I never ask him to go to any of the appts that he isn't absolutely needed at.  Because of the storm most of the nurses and physicians are working from home so I just got a call from a nurse that my estrogen levels were high so they need to check with the dr. before giving me the okay to start stims.  They left him a message but if I don't hear back today I can't start the stims.  I'm so annoyed.  I asked her why my estrogen level might be high and she didn't give me an answer.  Also annoying.  

@sp128 Yes, my clinic does bw and us appts on the wknds and actually only does them in the morning.  I usually go around 7:30 but I can get an appt as early as 6:30.  

KLake42

@Momifbysea- I've had plenty of injections, and here's what works best for me.

Set out your little vials for mixing.  Go through the process in your head before you start taking off caps, so you have everything.  And at the end of the line of vials, set a piece of chocolate.

Once you start the process, just focus on the step in front of you.  I am using the alcohol wipe to clean the tops of the vials.  I have cleaned the area of my belly.  While it dries, I am mixing this vial.  I am drawing everything up into the syringe (and not thinking about where the syringe will go).  Ok, I am thinking about the chocolate while I grab a pinch of belly, and I'm injecting, and now I'm eating chocolate.

And honestly, it gets easier as you go.  Remember to let the rubbing alcohol dry on your skin before you inject, so you don't feel the sting of the alcohol.  Some meds you hardly feel.  Some itch a bit. 

The scariest-looking needles (PIO) actually don't sting as much as the belly needles, because you (or someone you love) plunges them into the muscular part of your backside, and that just doesn't have as many nerves as your soft, vulnerable underbelly.

You'll find your inner badass!

As for me, I'm still just waiting for the end of the month.  Next week, I stop BCPs, and I have my baseline the last week, as does my wife.  Things get exciting the first week of April, for our reciprocal IVF!

Momifbysea

@KLake42 thank you THANK YOU for taking the time to write out your process for me! I have so much respect for you all who have got the badass thing down! And so excited for you for April, that's SO CLOSE!

liljoy-2

@PoeMasque Yes, the uncertainty of the IVF results is astonishing. First IVF I had no day 5 embryos, 2nd one I had lots of frozen embryos but wait, that's not the end of the dwindle down funnel, turns out I had only a couple normal! Ugh,

AFM, WTO for FET. No + OPKs yet which is very weird given the size of the follicle. I pray everything goes well, I don't need more delays and bad news...

Momifbysea

@bestofjoy praying all goes well and that you get the positive OPK soon!

SP128

@KLake42  Love that you worked in chocolate in there.  

AF came today.  Here goes another cycle.  Stinks cause we had great timing and hit every day in the FW.  WTF?  RE consult tomorrow.  I'm thankful that I didn't miss Day 3 testing and hope I can schedule something for Saturday!  

Labluver2

@SP128 sorry about AF. Good luck with the RE appt. Let UA know how you make out.

Labluver2

I'm now now 4DPO according to my fertility tracker and temp charting. We hit all but one day during my fertile week and now are on every other day just in case. I did have what felt like ovulation pain on Sunday so I made sure to BD that day and the next day after and we did it the 2 days before. Fx this is our cycle!!! If not I have an appt with a new Re on April 11th that is willing to work with or finances and hopefully we will be able to start IUI. 

laurad75

@SP128 Sorry about AF but it sounds like the timing is working out with your appt.  GL with your consult today.

FX for you @Labluver2!

Momifbysea

@SP128 I'm so sorry to hear AF came. Let us know how your re consult goes!

SP128

Hi ladies.  Just came back from the consult.  Dr. is ordering day 3 testing, hsg, and SA and bw for DH.  Treatment planning after we get the results.  The office seemed a little disorganized but if the Dr. can get us a baby then who the f cares.  

liljoy-2

Have any of you ladies had excruciating O pains on letrozole? I was having pains only second to endometriosis cysts and OHSS pains I had in the past. Also there is some fluid/blood in my pelvis, apparently from O but I fear endo growing back

Momifbysea

Yes, I had those o pains on letrozole like nothing I'd felt before! I figured it meant it was really working? Hope you can bear it! The good news is it goes away quickly right after, so no lingering pain.

liljoy-2

@Momifbysea Uh, sorry to hear. I feel then a bit better knowing I'm not the odd one out. RE didn't think much of it although I was pretty distressed. I still feel sore but a bit less than yesterday. Holy cow, that was some hardcore pain there.

PoeMasque

@Momifbysea the mixing and prep of the meds is probably the worst part. Thankfully I do that for a living, so it wasn't stressful. Just go slow, it's pretty hard to mess it up. (No need to swab the tops of bottles that you just popped off....they will tell you
to do it, it's pointless and wasteful) honestly you could skip the alcohol wipe on your skin too. You aren't reusing any needles, so it's fine. No diabetic swabs their skin before injecting insulin. 

As for the actual injection, pinch the skin into a nice fat roll and push the needle in at a 90 degree angle. Push the plunger down slowly to avoid pain/burning. Leave the needle in for a full 5 seconds after you've pushed all the med in. 

You will bruise. After a while your belly will be sore all over and the shots will start hurting more, but you'll be more distracted by constipation and ovary pain! Haha

I did a HCG trigger and it sucked! No pain when injecting, but lots of pain, redness, swelling, and itching the next day. I used some topical Benadryl cream and it helped a lot! 

katekate628

@SP128 hope you love your doc & things work out!!  

I just made an appointment with the RE I was referred to. Have to wait 3 weeks, so we will just keep on trying! AF is supposed to come tomorrow FX she doesn't, but I have a feeling she will. Blah! 

SP128

@katekate628  Fx for you!!  My follow up apt isn't until April 24th!!!! Ugh

Momifbysea

Thanks @PoeMasque for the injection guidance and better to know beforehand what to expect! When will you find out your results following ER?

@katekate628 hope you like your RE! We always had to wait about 3 weeks for an appt too. Can be unnerving when you're on the clock!

PoeMasque

@Momifbysea we had 8 eggs at ER, 7 mature and 6 currently baking in the lab. I think we get an update tomorrow. 8 was definitely less than anticipated, but I'm happy with the 6 fertilized, it means the protocol gave us quality over quantity  

katekate628

Well never thought I'd see CD35 going on 36... I think I jinxed myself filling out paperwork for the RE and it asked if AF was regular. Lol
BFNs since Friday, no symptoms either way. If AF doesn't show and I don't get a bfp, then when would you start using OPKs again? 

Momifbysea

@PoeMasque that number sounds amazing! So happy for you! It's nice to read these happy outcomes while in the midst of Flagyll nausea and dry heaving at work. I need to keep my eye on the prize.

@katekate628 I think at this point I'd call my ob/gyn for a blood test. How long are your cycles usually?

katekate628

@Momifbysea I was just at my ob/gym for annual. She referred me to RE. Have appt on 4/6 (forever) lol 

Momifbysea

@katekate628 sorry I missed that! 4/6 does seem like forever, doesn't it?

katekate628

@Momifbysea YES! Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself busy and either AF shows, or doesn't! Either way! 

SP128

@katekate628 4/6 does sound like a long time. I just called and was able to get my follow up apt moved from 4/24 to 4/12!!! Far away but better

katekate628

@SP128 awesome! Anything closer than over a month is better!

SP128

@katekate628 worth calling your re to see if they have any cancellations 

Momifbysea

Hey y'all my RE office called me back about the nausea and dry heaving from the Flagyll and they are switching me to a vaginal cream form of it that won't have these side effects and won't alter my IVF calendar, yay!!! Meanwhile, slowly working on getting some Ritz crackers and yogurt down.

katekate628

@Momifbysea that's great!! 

SP128

@Momifbysea  Hope it helps!!

Momifbysea

Thanks @SP128, I feel back to myself this morning after actually sleeping last night! Back to my "ok, I am not too old, heck yeah I can do this" attitude, at least for today. ;-)